PHONE pest firms will be fined up to half a million pounds if they hide behind “withheld” numbers in a Government crackdown on cold calling.

The change in the law will be announced tomorrow by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, the minister responsible for data protection, and come into force on May 16.

Watchdogs have welcomed the idea, first proposed in January, which will make it easier for recipients to decide whether to answer the phone and to make formal complaints if they are repeatedly pestered.

Related articles

From next month direct marketing companies registered in the UK will need to display their phone numbers when making unsolicited calls, even if their call centres are based abroad.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe said the Government was keen to act because of the “significant harm” unsolicited calls can cause the elderly.

Nuisance calls are incredibly intrusive and can cause significant harm to elderly and vulnerable members of society

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

“Nuisance calls are incredibly intrusive and can cause significant harm to elderly and vulnerable members of society,” she said.

“The Government is committed to tackling this problem, which is why we are making it easier for consumers to report companies by forcing them to display their phone numbers. We are sending a clear message to rogue direct marketing companies. Nuisance calls are unacceptable and we will not hesitate to take action against the companies behind them.”

Official figures reveal that one in five direct marketing calls come from an anonymous or false number, with more than 14,000 complaints made about nuisance calls every month.

GETTY

The fines would apply if firms use withheld numbers

Callers will now have to provide a valid caller identity that shows up on phone displays when they ring. This caller ID will also help the marketing calls regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, to investigate firms that flout the rules by making repeated nuisance phone calls.

Companies that breach the rules will face fines of up to £500,000. In 2015 the Government made it easier to fine nuisance callers by removing the need for consumers to prove that unwanted marketing calls were causing substantial distress and damage.

GETTY

In 2015 the government made it easier for cold callers to be fined

Within four months of the change, the ICO issued fines to companies totalling £895,000 and has a further £1million in the pipeline. Steve Eckersley, the ICO’s head of enforcement, said: “Any change that makes it easier for us to track down companies making nuisance calls is a change that will reduce the annoyance these calls cause.

“We do investigate unscrupulous companies who hide their identities, and we can track them down, but it certainly makes our job more difficult.

“When people are able to identify the number behind the call they have received they are more likely to complain and that means we are able to take action.”

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: “This is another important victory in the fight against nuisance calls. “With marketing firms now being forced to display their numbers, it will make it much easier for enforcement action to be taken.”